Autonomous vehicles, such as vehicles that do not require a human driver, can be used to aid in the transport of passengers or items from one location to another. Such vehicles may operate in a fully autonomous mode where passengers may provide some initial input, such as a pick up and/or destination location, and the vehicle maneuvers itself to that location.
An important component of an autonomous vehicle is the perception system, which allows the vehicle to perceive and interpret its surroundings using cameras, radar, sensors, and other similar devices. Data from the perception system is then used by the autonomous vehicle's computer to make numerous decisions while the autonomous vehicle is in motion, such as deciding when to speed up, slow down, stop, turn, etc. These decisions are used to maneuver between locations, but also to interact with and avoid collisions with other objects along the way.
When a collision actually occurs, non-autonomous and autonomous vehicles alike may include various safety mechanisms to reduce injury to passengers. Typically, the safety mechanisms may include passenger restraining systems, such as seatbelts, employed to protect passengers from impacts within the interior of a vehicle after an impact with another vehicle or object external to the vehicle.